It is well known to use electrical outlet boxes to house electrical components such as switches and receptacles. These boxes are attached to wall studs. Once the wall board is placed over the studs, the outlet box provides access to the components.
Many electrical outlet boxes are formed of metal. These metallic outlet boxes typically include a back wall, a perimetrical side wall and an open-front face defining a box interior through which a switch or receptacle is placed. Openings in the back or side walls of the box allow entry of the stripped ends of electrical wires for termination to the switch or receptacle house in the box. In order to prevent the wire from inadvertently becoming removed from the box once inserted, a wire clamp is employed. A wire clamp is typically a metallic member movably held to box with a threaded screw. The clamp is captivated by the screw for movement therewith. The screw may be urged downwardly so as to move the clamp into contact with the wire, holding the wire in the electrical box.
It is common for these screws to be threadedly inserted to a threaded opening in one of the walls in the box. As the clamp is moved into clamping engagement with the wire inserted into the box, the screw is progressed such that the threaded shaft of the screw extends outwardly of the box.
By extending the screw outwardly of the box, there is the potential for damaging the dry wall or a vapor barrier which may be employed.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a conventional metallic electrical outlet box having a clamp secured by a movable screw. The box 10 includes a back wall 12, perimetrical side wall 14 formed by a pair of opposed side walls 14a and 14b and opposed top and bottom wall 14c and 14d. A clamp 20 is secured to the back wall by a screw 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the screw 22 is attached to the back wall of the box through a threaded aperture in the back wall. As may be appreciated, movement of the screw towards the back wall to urge the clamp downward, would cause the threaded shaft of the screw to extend outwardly of the box, thus, potentially causing damage to the dry wall or the vapor barrier.
Moreover, during transportation, screws can unseat themselves from the threaded aperture causing dislodgement of the screw and the clamp. Also, since the clamp can move freely with the screw, the clamp requires the use of a clamp leg 30 on each side of the screw to raise the clamp up. This results in the necessity for more material as well as a secondary operation.
It is therefore desirable to provide an electrical outlet box which employs a wire clamp, to clamp the wire within the box without the need for screw to be progressed in such a manner that the threaded shaft of the screw extends substantially externally of the box upon clamping.